Municipal Park Named For Longtime Resident

WEST HARTFORD — Almost every morning of his life, William E. ``Bill'' Blanchfield walked to Burgoyne Park on South Quaker Lane to raise the American flag.

It was just one of the ways Blanchfield, a lifelong West Hartford resident, showed his love and respect for his country and his town.

That love was remembered this week when the town council voted Tuesday to rename that park in his memory.

Blanchfield was killed last month when he was struck by a motorist after leaving a Hartford Whalers game in Hartford.

``Mr. Blanchfield was a very giving person and his untimely death was a tremendous loss for the whole community,'' said Mayor Sandra F. Klebanoff. ``This is an appropriate way to honor his memory because of what he gave to this community.''

Family members agreed that the William E. Blanchfield Park would be a fitting tribute to a man they said dedicated his life to the town and those who live in it.

``He exemplifies what West Hartford is all about,'' said Barbara Carpenter, one of Blanchfield's four children, who is a kindergarten teacher at Braeburn Elementary School.

``This is a caring community, and his life was one of giving to the community and practicing random acts of kindness,'' she said. ``He had so much pride in West Hartford. He made West Hartford a central part of his life.''

Blanchfield was a graduate of Hall High School, where he was elected student council president. After serving in World War II and being awarded a Purple Heart, Blanchfield returned to West Hartford and opened Battey's Shoes on South Quaker Lane. He worked there for more than 40 years.

It was from the shoe store that Blanchfield walked almost every day to raise and lower the flag in the nearby park now named in his memory. The small park, on the corner of South Quaker Lane and New Britain Avenue, has a few benches, trees and grass.

``He was very patriotic and had so much respect for this country and this town,'' said Carpenter. ``He really understood what it meant to be a good citizen.''